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Pablo López makes certain Twins return home with a split with dominant ALDS win

betsy helfand, pioneer press
·3 min read

HOUSTON — The Twins talked of needing to leave Houston with a split, needing to salvage Game 2 after dropping the first game of the American League Division Series. And Pablo López, with some help from Carlos Correa and Kyle Farmer, saw to it that the Twins would do just that.

The last time López took the ball, he showed up to the ballpark wearing the jersey of his childhood hero, Johan Santana, and then emulated the man, pitching the Twins to their first playoff victory since Santana did so in 2004 in Game 1 of the Division Series.

This time around, he was even more impressive.

The Astros had a chance to push the Twins to the brink on Sunday. Instead, the man whom the Twins acquired this offseason to be their ace, bested the defending World Series champions by throwing seven scoreless innings in the Twins’ 6-2 win over the Astros at Minute Maid Park in Game 2 of the ALDS.

“When we’ve got a guy like Pablo on the mound, we’ve got all the confidence in the world when we’re going out there,” catcher Ryan Jeffers said. “He did exactly what he’s shown us the whole year, just absolute domination.”

López faced very little trouble, the most significant of which came in the fourth inning when the Astros had their only real threat of the game against him. With runners on the corners and a pair of outs, pitching coach Pete Maki came to the mound for a visit.

The starter responded by retiring center fielder Chas McCormick on three pitches, getting him to swing at a 95.7 mph fastball just above the zone for strike three.

López, whose four-seam fastball averaged 95.9 mph on Sunday, up from his 94.9 yearly average, finished the day with seven strikeouts and one walk.

“I think he was completely locked in, and not just his intent,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He was just so sharp. I mean, the stuff, anyone watching can see the stuff is exceptional, but I think he had tremendous feel for his pitches today.”

In two postseason games thus far, the Twins’ ace has thrown 12 2/3 innings, giving up just one run (0.71 earned-run average).

With his seven scoreless innings, he became just the third pitcher in Twins postseason history to throw seven scoreless innings in a game, joining Santana in 2004 and Jack Morris in the 1991 World Series Game 7.

“I feel extremely honored and happy. These are moments that sometimes as players we don’t understand that we have to cherish them because sometimes they’re short, sometimes they don’t come again,” he said. “ … I’m always honored to be on any list that includes Johan Santana’s name and just really, really happy with it.”

The effort was everything the Twins could have asked from him and reset the series, which is now guaranteed to go at least four games, the next two of which will be held at Target Field on Tuesday and Wednesday. If it goes all five, López would be in line to pitch the final, deciding game of the series.

“I think it was very important to like come into today knowing that we needed to do everything and anything we knew to try to win a ballgame,” López said. “ … Going back home knowing we were able to take one of these games at their place, like it just lets us know that we have what it takes to put up against the Astros or against anybody. We have all the pieces that we need in our clubhouse.”

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